NAFTALI BENNETT

The apparent comeback of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the dramatic rise of his far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies in Israel’s general election this week have prompted little more than shrugs from many Palestinians.

A West Bank settler will for the first time become the chief of staff of Israel's military, the enforcer of the country's 55-year-old military occupation.

The Iranian-made drones that Russia sent slamming into central Kyiv this week are complicating Israel's balancing act between Russia and the West.

The Biden administration says it has responded to Iran’s latest offer to resume its compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, but neither side is offering a definitive path to revive the agreement, which has been on life-support since former President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018.

The Biden administration is expected to weigh in this week on Iran’s latest offer to resume its compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, but neither side is offering a definitive path to revive the agreement, which has been on life-support since former President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018.

Israel’s caretaker prime minister appears to have taken a gamble with his preemptive strike against Islamic Jihad militants in Gaza, less than three months before he is to compete in general elections to retain his job.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid stood side-by-side and declared they would not allow Iran to become a nuclear power.

President Joe Biden has opened a Mideast visit by offering anxious Israeli leaders strong reassurances of his determination to stop Iran’s nuclear program.

Moments after US President Joe Biden touched down in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, the Israeli military showed him new hardware it says is essential to confronting Iran: anti-drone lasers.

JERUSALEM — (AP) — The leaders of two parties in Israel's outgoing government coalition announced Sunday that they would run as political partners in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Israel will hold its fifth elections in under four years in November after the government headed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett collapsed last month. The previous four elections were largely referendums on longtime leader Benjamin Netanyahu's fitness to serve as prime minister while under indictment for corruption. Gantz, a former army chief of staff, heads the centrist Blue and White party and serves as Israel's defense minister. Saar is a former member of the once-dominant Likud party who broke ranks and formed his hawkish New Hope party.

The leaders of two parties in Israel’s outgoing government coalition announced  that they would merge ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections

Joe Biden took office looking to reshape U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.

Israel’s caretaker prime minister has held his first Cabinet meeting since taking over as leader, promising a functional government amid the political instability

Israel Politics Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, right, and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid talk ahead of the vote on a bill to dissolve parliament, at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, Thursday, June 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) (Ariel Schalit)JERUSALEM — (AP) — Israel’s parliament voted Thursday to dissolve itself and send the country to the polls in November for the fifth time in less than four years. Yair Lapid, Israel’s foreign minister and architect of the outgoing coalition government, will become the country’s caretaker prime minister just after midnight on Friday. He will be the 14th person to hold that office, taking over from Naftali Bennett, Israel's shortest serving prime minister. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Israel’s parliament has voted to dissolve itself, triggering the country’s fifth election in just over three years.

Bennett he led a broad but fragile coalition government that came unraveled barely a year after taking office.

JERUSALEM — (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will not run in upcoming elections, his office said Wednesday, after he led a broad but fragile coalition government that came unraveled barely a year after taking office. The government announced last week that it would dissolve the Knesset ahead of elections expected this fall, but the voting required for dissolution has been bogged down by disputes with the opposition. Bennett’s office said he has informed members of his right-wing Yamina party that he will not run in the next elections, expected in October or November. He will continue to serve as alternate prime minister in a caretaker government to be led by Yair Lapid, the architect of the coalition who is currently foreign minister. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will not run in upcoming elections, after he led a broad but fragile coalition government that came unraveled barely a year after taking office

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says he will not run in upcoming elections, after he led a broad but fragile coalition government that came unraveled barely a year after taking office.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who led a broad but fragile coalition government that came unraveled barely a year after taking office, announced Wednesday that he will not run in upcoming elections. Bennett’s office said he will continue to serve as alternate prime minister in a caretaker government to be led by Yair Lapid, the architect of the coalition who is currently foreign minister. Bennett embodies many of the contradictions that animate his small country.

The collapse offers a potential second chance to former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose right-wing Likud party is performing well in local polls.

Israel’s prime minister has convened what is likely his last Cabinet meeting as premier, with parliament expected to dissolve itself this week, triggering new elections in the fall

Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has thanked Turkey for its cooperation in foiling attacks against Israelis and warned Israel would not “sit idly by’ in the face of threats from Iran to its citizens.

The leaders of Israel’s broad-based but severely weakened coalition government have thrown in the towel this week, after barely 12 months in office.

Israel politics Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid speaks during a joint statement with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, Monday, June 20, 2022. Next week, he is expected to assume his biggest role yet — as the new prime minister. Following the government’s decision to dissolve parliament, Lapid, now foreign minister, is set to take office as caretaker prime minister until elections in the fall. As caretaker prime minister, he is unlikely to launch any major military operations or bold peace initiatives with the Palestinians. “His new post, from next week on, as interim prime minister is his greatest asset going into the election.”Copyright 2022 The Associated Press.

In a 10-year political career, Yair Lapid has transformed himself from upstart political novice to feisty opposition leader to the savvy operator who toppled longtime leader Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The country will head to the polls for its fifth elections in three years.

The country will head to the polls for its fifth elections in three years.

The country will head to the polls for its fifth elections in three years.

Israel politics Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, left, speaks during a joint statement with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, Monday, June 20, 2022. Bennett and his main coalition partner, Yair Lapid, decided to present a vote to dissolve parliament in the coming days, Bennett's office said. A parliamentary committee approved holding a preliminary vote to dissolve parliament on Wednesday, with a final vote expected early next week. Israeli law does not explicitly state that a politician under indictment may not become prime minister. Along with the bill to dissolve parliament, he said he would advance legislation on Wednesday to bar a lawmaker under indictment from assuming the premiership.

Israel politics Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, left, speaks during a joint statement with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, Monday, June 20, 2022. Bennett and his main coalition partner, Yair Lapid, decided to present a vote to dissolve parliament in the coming days, Bennett's office said. A parliamentary committee approved holding a preliminary vote to dissolve parliament on Wednesday, with a final vote expected early next week. Israeli law does not explicitly state that a politician under indictment may not become prime minister. Along with the bill to dissolve parliament, he said he would advance legislation on Wednesday to bar a lawmaker under indictment from assuming the premiership.

Israel politics Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, left, speaks during a joint statement with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, Monday, June 20, 2022. Bennett and his main coalition partner, Yair Lapid, decided to present a vote to dissolve parliament in the coming days, Bennett's office said. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) (Maya Alleruzzo)JERUSALEM — (AP) — Israel's outgoing coalition government will fast-track a bill this week to dissolve parliament, setting up the country for its fifth elections in three years, a Cabinet minister said Tuesday. A series of defections from his Yemina party had stripped the coalition of its majority in parliament. Israeli law does not explicitly state that a politician under indictment may not become prime minister.

An Israeli Cabinet minister says the country's outgoing coalition government will fast-track a bill this week to dissolve parliament, setting up the country for its fifth elections in three years.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says he will step down, bringing Israel to its fifth round of elections in just over three years. It comes as former leader Benjamin Netanyahu tries to return to power.

Israel Politics FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett attends a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, Sunday, June 19, 2022. Bennett has struggled to keep his unruly coalition of eight parties together, and defections have left the crumbling alliance without a majority in parliament for over two months. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP, File) (Abir Sultan)JERUSALEM — (AP) — Israel’s weakened coalition government decided Monday to dissolve parliament and call a new election, the country's fifth in three years. The vote, expected this fall, could bring about the return of a nationalist religious government led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or another prolonged period of political gridlock. It included a diverse array of parties, from dovish factions that support an end to Israel's occupation of lands captured in 1967, to hard-line parties that oppose Palestinian independence.

Israel Politics FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett attends a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, Sunday, June 19, 2022. Bennett’s office announced Monday, June 20, 2022, that his weakened coalition will be disbanded and the country will head to new elections. The previous four elections, focused on Netanyahu's fitness to rule while on trial for corruption charges, ended in deadlock. It included a diverse array of parties, from dovish factions that support an end to Israel's occupation of lands captured in 1967, to hard-line parties that oppose Palestinian independence. Often described as a political “experiment,” it made history by becoming the first Israeli coalition government to include an Arab party.

The diverse coalition crumbled and the nation is now headed to its fifth election in four years

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office announced that his weakened coalition will be disbanded and the country will head to new elections

JERUSALEM — (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office announced Monday that his weakened coalition will be disbanded and the country will head to new elections. Bennett has struggled to keep his unruly coalition of eight parties together, and defections have left the crumbling alliance without a majority in parliament for over two months. Bennett and his main coalition partner, Yair Lapid, decided to present a vote to dissolve parliament in the coming days, Bennett's office said. Lapid is then to serve as caretakever prime minister. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Israel’s weakened coalition government has announced that it will dissolve parliament and call new elections.

Israel’s weakened coalition government announced Monday that it would dissolve parliament and call new elections, setting the stage for the possible return to power of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or another period of prolonged political gridlock. The election will be Israel's fifth in three years, and it will put the polarizing Netanyahu, who has been the opposition leader for the past year, back at the center of the political universe. While opinion polls project Netanyahu, who is now on trial, as the front-runner, it is far from certain that his Likud party can secure the required parliamentary majority to form a new government.

A vote in the Knesset and a protest on Jerusalem Day suggest that Benjamin Netanyahu’s influence endures.

President Joe Biden will make his first trip to the Middle East next month with visits to Israel, the occupied West Bank and Saudi Arabia.

Netanyahu's attempt to return to power might inadvertently subject some of his most devoted supporters to the same military law as the Palestinians.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov snapped at a Ukrainian journalist after being confronted with claims of Russia stealing Ukraine's grain.

Washington is reversing a Trump administration policy on U.S.-Palestinian relations, a move that comes before a possible visit by President Joe Biden to Israel.

TEL AVIV, Israel — (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was on a surprise visit to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, a snap trip that came as efforts to salvage a deal over Iran's nuclear program were stalled amid a deepening standoff with Tehran. It says it wants an improved deal that places tighter restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program and addresses Iran’s long-range missile program and its support for hostile proxies along Israel’s borders. Talks in Vienna over Iran’s tattered nuclear deal have been stalled since April. Iran insists its program is for peaceful purposes, though U.N. experts and Western intelligence agencies say Iran had an organized military nuclear program through 2003. Israel and the UAE agreed to thaw ties under the U.S. brokered agreements known as the “Abraham Accords,” which saw similar deals struck with Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.

Israel’s prime minister was on a surprise visit to the United Arab Emirates

Israel's prime minister is on a surprise visit to the United Arab Emirates.

Israel Politics FILE - A general view shows the West Bank Jewish Jewish settlement of Efrat, Thursday, March 10, 2022. Now, one of those very issues — Palestinian statehood and Israel’s occupation of the West Bank — risks toppling it. One of the parties deliberating over its vote is Ra'am, an Arab Islamist group that made history as the first Arab party to join an Israeli coalition. But hundreds of thousands of Israelis reside in over 120 settlements dotting the West Bank, along with more than 2.5 million Palestinians. For Jewish settlers in the West Bank, most of Israel’s criminal and civilian laws apply.

The Israeli government has failed to pass a bill extending legal protections for settlers in the occupied West Bank.

Israel’s government on Monday failed to pass a bill extending legal protections for settlers in the occupied West Bank, marking a major setback for the fragile coalition that could hasten its demise and send the country to new elections. The failure to renew the bill also highlighted the separate legal systems in the West Bank, where nearly 500,000 Jewish settlers enjoy the benefits of Israeli citizenship while some 3 million Palestinians live under military rule that is now well into its sixth decade. Three major human rights groups have said the situation amounts to apartheid, an allegation Israel rejects as an assault on its legitimacy.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has accused Iran of deceiving the international community about its atomic activities

Israel says it has proof that Iran stole classified documents from the U.N. atomic energy agency nearly two decades ago and used them to conceal its nuclear activities from international inspectors

Israel and the United Arab Emirates have signed a free trade agreement, the first Israel has concluded with an Arab country

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has defended an annual march that celebrated Israel’s takeover of east Jerusalem and was marked by violence and anti-Palestinian racism

Israel Palestinians Palestinians and Jewish youths clash in Jerusalem's Old City as Israelis mark Jerusalem Day, an Israeli holiday celebrating the capture of the Old City during the 1967 Mideast war. But Palestinians, who seek east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, see the march as a provocation. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) (Ariel Schalit)JERUSALEM — (AP) — Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Monday defended the decision to hold an annual march that celebrates Israel's takeover of east Jerusalem and was marked by violence and anti-Palestinian racism. The Palestinians want east Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state. The site, which is the holiest for Jews and the third holiest in Islam, has frequently been the epicenter of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has defended an annual march that celebrated Israel’s takeover of east Jerusalem and was marked by violence and anti-Palestinian racism.

An Arab Israeli lawmaker who quit the ruling coalition says she is returning to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s 60-member alliance, ending a political crisis that lasted just a few days

The lawmaker, Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi, was the second Knesset member to quit Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s ruling coalition in the last two months.

Police are making preparations at a Jewish holy site in northern Israel ahead of the arrival of thousands of worshipers and revelers a year after a disaster that left 45 people dead

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has welcomed a recent decision to expand Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank

An Israeli hospital says a Palestinian gunman has died after being critically wounded in clashes with Israeli troops

Israel has advanced plans for the construction of more than 4,000 settler homes in the occupied West Bank.

A key Israeli governing partner says it is remaining in the country’s fragile coalition

APTOPIX Israel Politics Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett pauses during the opening of the summer session of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, Monday, May 9, 2022. That has set the stage for a possible attempt by the opposition, led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to topple the government later this week. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) (Maya Alleruzzo)JERUSALEM — (AP) — Israel's embattled prime minister on Monday vowed to continue to lead the country as his shaky government limped into the opening of parliament's summer session on the verge of collapse. That has set the stage for a possible attempt by the opposition, led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to topple the government later this week. “We are going to continue with victories, to sustain an excellent government in the state of Israel for the citizens of Israel,” Bennett said.

Israeli police say officers arrested a 65-year-old woman suspected of sending death threats with bullets to the prime minister and his family last month

Israel Politics FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaks during a weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on Sunday, May 1, 2022. “Everyone understands that we’re at a crossroads that can bring about, heaven forbid, elections in Israel," he told the Israeli public broadcaster Kan. A second member followed suit last month, leaving the coalition and opposition equally divided in the 120-seat parliament. Abbas has not said whether he will resume cooperation or join the opposition in attempts to topple the coalition this week. Netanyahu is weighing whether to introduce a motion this week to dissolve parliament and trigger new elections.

The government of Israel’s embattled prime minister is limping into the opening of parliament’s summer session on the verge of collapse

Israel's embattled prime minister is vowing to continue to lead the country as his shaky government limps into parliament's new summer session on the verge of collapse.

(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, Pool) (Maya Alleruzzo)TEL AVIV, Israel — (AP) — The Palestinian Health Ministry said Sunday that a Palestinian man died after he was shot by Israeli troops near a military checkpoint in the occupied West Bank. In a separate incident, a Palestinian man allegedly stabbed an Israeli police officer outside Jerusalem's Old City. “The Israeli government’s main goal is to restore personal security to Israeli citizens,” he said. Images in Israeli media showed masked security forces confronting the men, who appeared to be beneath a green shrub in a rugged patch of land. Nearly 30 Palestinians have died in violence — most of whom had carried out attacks or were involved in confrontations with Israeli forces in the West Bank.

The stabbing was the latest in a series of deadly assaults deep inside the country in recent weeks.

(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, Pool) (Maya Alleruzzo)TEL AVIV, Israel — (AP) — Israeli police said Sunday forces captured two Palestinians who killed three people in a stabbing attack last week and fled the scene, sparking a massive manhunt and keeping the country on edge. The stabbing was the latest in a series of deadly assaults deep inside the country in recent weeks. Israel says the policy of demolishing homes of Palestinians who kill Israelis serves to deter would-be attackers, while rights groups say it amounts to collective punishment. Nearly 30 Palestinians have died in violence — most of whom had carried out attacks or were involved in confrontations with Israeli forces in the West Bank. But an unarmed woman and two apparent bystanders were also among those killed and rights groups say Israel often uses excessive force.

Israel's interior minister says plans will be advanced for the construction of 4,000 settler homes in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli security forces are carrying out a massive manhunt for two Palestinians suspected in a mass stabbing near Tel Aviv that left three Israelis dead.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says he accepted an apology from Russian President Vladimir Putin for controversial remarks about the Holocaust made by Moscow’s top diplomat.

Israel has summoned the Russian ambassador over comments made by the Russian foreign minister about Nazism and antisemitism.

A bomb scare set off scenes of panic at Israel’s airport after an American family showed up with an unexploded artillery shell they had found in the Golan Heights.

Israeli police say that the family of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has received a death threat and a bullet in the mail for the second time this week.

Israel has come to a halt to honor the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust.

Israel's leaders say the military's laser defense system has successfully intercepted drones, mortars, rockets and anti-tank missiles in recent tests.

Officials say Israeli forces have shot and killed two Palestinians, including an unarmed woman, in confrontations across Israel and the occupied West Bank.

A third Israeli has died following the attack by a Palestinian man who opened fire into a crowded bar in central Tel Aviv.

A Palestinian opened fire into a crowded bar in central Tel Aviv, killing at least two people and wounding several others.

Israeli forces have raided a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, setting off a gunbattle.

Three deadly attacks in Israel in a week are raising doubts over Israel’s approach to its conflict with the Palestinians.

Israeli officials say at least five people have been killed by a gunman who opened fire in a crowded city in central Israel.

Israel has hosted the foreign ministers of four Arab nations and the United States in a bid to strengthen its position in a rapidly shifting Middle East.

The militant Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a shooting in central Israel that police say killed two people and wounded four.

Israel's prime minister has tested positive for the coronavirus and is working from home after he held a series of meetings, including with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Israeli authorities say a pair of gunmen have killed two people and wounded four others in a shooting spree in central Israel, before they were killed by police.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will try to use his three-nation tour of the Middle East and North Africa to reassure wary Israelis and Arabs that the Biden administration is committed to the region’s security at a time when Washington is confronting multiple foreign policy challenges.

Israeli police say a knife-wielding Arab man has killed four people and seriously wounded two others in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is prepared to discuss a commitment from Ukraine not to seek NATO membership in exchange for a cease-fire, the withdrawal of Russian troops and a guarantee of Ukraine’s security.

Mike Pence spent more than four years standing in President Donald Trump’s shadow, refusing to criticize or allow sunlight between them.

Ukraine’s president has called on Israel to take a stronger stand against Russia, delivering an emotional appeal that compared Russia’s invasion of his country to the actions of Nazi Germany.

Hundreds of thousands of people have participated in the funeral of a prominent ultra-Orthodox rabbi in the central Israel city of Bnei Brak.

Vladimir Putin has again painted his enemies in Ukraine as “neo-Nazis,” even though the country has a Jewish president who lost relatives in the Holocaust and who heads a Western-backed, democratically elected government.

Iran has converted a fraction of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium into material that can detect cancers and other diseases.

Just a year ago, Naftali Bennett was struggling for political survival.